2021 3rd Quarter Review With Adam Oaks

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Why automation technology is the solution to an unending, industry-wide labor shortage. 

Season 3, Episode 3 of Coffee Conversations was sponsored by Johns Manville and featured a star-studded panel of industry experts who provided an in-depth look at 2021’s third quarter. Included in this conversation was Estimating Edge CEO Adam Oaks, who discussed how automation could be the key to an ongoing labor shortage.  

Estimating Edge provides software solutions for the commercial roofing contractor. They are known for their stellar customer support and software that can calculate material and labor costs while users perform a takeoff. Reports generated by the EDGE software can assist with project management, accounting and communication with employees and customers.  

During the conversation, Adam pulled data tracking commercial roofing bids over the course of 2021. Similarly to the data he shared on a previous Coffee Conversations reviewing the first quarter of 2021, the number of bids continued to rise despite unprecedented economic fluctuations. 

"There's normal tracking with the summer months and so forth, but bids keep climbing. I guess the only real question for the team here is what's happening to all the biddings, right? Where are the starts? Where are the delays? And I think that's what we're going to talk about today is what is happening to us after we bid those jobs,” said Adam. 

Given the current labor shortage, which has no foreseeable end, Adam was asked to discuss the role of technological innovation as a solution for construction companies struggling to hire and retain a quality workforce. Adam explained that people are spending the most money on digital collaboration technology, which shows that people are adapting to meet the needs of their businesses in a post-Coronavirus world. This makes Adam feel optimistic about businesses being open to progressive technologies that could assist them in automating their processes – which would decrease a company’s need for new workers. 

"Automation is what we're thinking here at Estimating Edge,” said Adam. “On the preconstruction side, [we’re looking at] automating part of the estimating process, which would allow our contractor customers to do more with less people." 

In fact, Adam and Estimating Edge are looking to eliminate up to 80% of the time it takes to perform the takeoff and estimation components of a roofing project. This powerful automation enhancement is set to come out soon, with a more detailed announcement to be revealed in the coming weeks. 

"We're really excited about it,” said Adam. “We think that's the path that we can help." 

Read, Listen or Watch the entire Coffee Conversations to learn more about the 3rd quarter review or watch Adam’s highlights. 

Learn more about Estimating Edge in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.estimatingedge.com.